This invention relates generally to wire spooling equipment, and more particularly to devices for facilitating the de-reeling of wire from a spool.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,647, issued to Joseph J. Kovaleski on Feb. 4, 1969 there is shown a pay-out cap assembly comprising a freely rotatable wheel and stationary tension brush for de-reeling wire off the free end of the spool. In order to install the cap assembly at one end of the spool it is necessary to raise the spool end by lifting or tilting the spool, after which the assembly can be secured in place. In the past, special hubs or fixtures of one sort or another have been employed to retain such an assembly in its operative position. However, these items were generally cumbersome, and time-consuming to install. Also, problems associated with slightly differing spool bore diameters often made high speed operation of pay-out equipment difficult or impossible to realize.